Stopper-extractor.



0. F.v FRANK.

, STOPPER EXTRACTOIR.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2I. I915. 1,285,1 95; a Patented July 31, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

3 g f 4 W I i ff}? O. F. FRANK.

STOPPER EXTRACTOR.

APPHCATION man APR.2l, 191s.

Patented July 31, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 /11: I III III L val OSCAR F. FRANK, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

STOPPER-EXTRACTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 31, 1917.

Application filed April 21, 1915. Serial No. 22,907.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR F. FRANK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stopper-Extractors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to stopper extractors and has for its object the provision of a new and useful manufacture of this class.

The device consists of a fiat bar, having a stopper piercing and lifting blade pro ect1ng from its flat side at a point intermediate its ends and arranged in a particular manner as shown and described in the accompanying drawings and specifications.

In the drawings Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a plan and side view of my invention in which the blade is formed by slitting the bar and depressing out of it the portion forming the blade.

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively a plan and side view of my invention in which the blade is formed separate from the bar and is riveted thereto.

Fig. 5 shows one of my stopper extractors combined with a can opener.

Fig. 6 is a side view of my invention in which the blade is formed at the end of a bar of metal which is bent back upon itself so that the blade is located at a point intermediate the ends of the resulting bar.

Figs. 7 to ll inclusive, illustrate the manner in which my invention may be used.

In the stopper extractor shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a metal bar, A, has a V shaped longitudinal slit made in it and the metal therefrom is pressed out at one side to form the blade, a.

In Figs. 3 and 4, a bar, B, has riveted to it a separately formed blade, 5, the rivets being indicated at 6 In Fig. 5 is shown a stopper extractor formed similarly to that shown in Figs. 3 and 4 with the addition of a can opener being formed at one end of the bar, B. In this can opener, 5 represents the shearing blade, having the cutting edge, 5 The fulcrum for resting on the edge of the can when the shearing blade, 6 is in action is shown at 6*, being formed by bending outward a portion of the metal of the bar B.

Other convenient combinations of tools with my invention may be made without contracting its scope.

In Fig. 6 the bar, C, has the blade, 0, formed at one end of the original bar which end is bent back on itself at C, so as to, bring the blade, 0, into a position intermediate the ends of the resulting bar.

In the drawings, it will be noted, the blade is shown with its piercing point in clined at an acute angle to the body of the bar so that when the point of the blade is pressed against the stopper and the bar is moved longitudinally in the direction of the point the blade will pierce the stopper and have a tendency to lift it. This action is illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8.

It will be seen that the short end of the handle, A, which projects in front of and above the blade, a, serves as a guard to limit both the distance to which and the angle at which the blade, a, punctures the stopper, F. This front end extension to the handle may be fulcrumed upon the end of the bottle to pry out the stopper as shown in Fig. 10.

In Fig. 7 there is shown the neck, E, of an ordinary milk bottle having a paper stopper, F, closing the orifice, H. The blade, a,

is shown pressing against the stopper, F, one end a resting on the wall, G, of the orifice, H, of the b0 tle neck, E. In Fig. 8, the extractor is shown advanced until the blade has pierced the stopper and has started it from its seat in the orifice. In this view the bar, A, is shown resting squarely across the top of the wall, Gr, surrounding the ori fice, H. It is evident from this view that the longitudinal movement of the bar in the direction which the blade points will tend to extract the stopper, due to the blade being inclined to the bar at an acute angle and the bar restingon the top of the bottle.

In Fig. 9, the extractor is shown operating on the side of the wall, G, which is adjacent to the long, or handle end, o of the bar, A, as a fulcrum for prying out the stopper; in Fig. 10, the extractor is shown operating on the side of the wall, G, which is adjacent to the short end, c of the bar,

A, as a fulcrum; while in Fig. 11, the extractor is shown as having lifted the stopper vertically out of the bottle neck.

It is to be noted that the blade, a, lies in a plane transverse to the bar or handle, and that its thickness is small compared to its width. I have found in the use of other stopper extractors with whichI am familiar, in which various forms of prongs, hooks, barbs, spurs, and claws, are employed for piercing the stopper, that such great pressure normal to the stopper is required to pierce it, that frequently some of the contents of the bottle is squirted out about the stopper or through the hole torn by the piercing point, thus soiling furniture or clothing, and causing vexatious annoyance. I avoid such unsatisfactory construction by making my piercing and lifting blade to stand at an acute angle to the handle so that the pressure of the blade required to pierce the stopper is exerted largely laterally on the stopper and not normally to its outer surface, and by extending the end of the bar beyond the point of the blade and adapting it to engage the far edge of the bottle mouth. When this forward extension of the bar rests upon the far edge of the bottle mouth, the point of the blade is pressed lightly upon the stopper, and the handle is moved forward parallel to itself, the blade pierces the stopper at an acute angle, and there is a positive extracting force exerted which produces upon the stopper only slight inward pressure. There is consequently no squirting or sputtering of the bottles contents. Should the piercing of the stopper require an unusual effort, or should the person using the stopper be careless in making the incision, the end of the bar which extends beyond the point of the blade and engages the far edge of the bottle mouth, prevents too great inward pressure upon the stopper and the consequent annoyance above noted.

t is to be noted further that the incision made by the piercing blade of my extractor runs at substantially right angles to the lengthwise direction of the handle, and to the direction of motion of the blade while piercing the stopper. Due to this fact, and the inclining of the blade at an acute angle to the handle, the cutting pressure, or friction of the edges of the blade upon the material of the stopper is chief y lateral instead of normal to the surface of the stopper. lVhilethe blade, a, is made thin, it is made wide in order to have the requisite strength and a wide lifting surface upon the stopper So as not to tear out. In some forms of stopper extractors, blades or spurs are employed which make incisions which are parallel with the lengthwise direction of the handles. In such forms, if the blade be made thick enough to lift without tearing or cutting out of the stopper, it requires so much normal pressure to make it pierce the stopper, that the above described objectionable pressure upon the bottle con tents is produced. The same is true of wire prongs or fork tines.

My invention possesses advantages of simplicity, convenience, usefulness, cheapness and effectiveness, not found in other stopper extractors with which I am familiar.

I particularly point out and claim as my invention l. A stopper extractor comprising a bar having a longitudinally disposed V shaped blade projecting at an acute angle from one side intermediate the ends of the bar, the plane of the blade intersecting the bar transversely, said blade being adapted to pierce and lift the stopper, one end of the bar being adapted to serve as a handle and the other end to engage and to fulcrum upon the far edge of the bottle mouth.

2. A stopper extractor comprising a flat bar of metal having a longitudinally disposed, elongated V shaped slit intermediate the ends of the bar, the metal included between the sides of said V shaped slit being depressed to form a stopper piercing and lifting blade making an acute angle with the surface of said bar, the plane of the blade intersecting the bar transversely, one end of the bar being extended beyond the point of said blade for the purpose of engaging the far edge of the bottle mouth and be fulerumed thereon, and the other end of the bar being adapted to serve as a handle.

3. A stopper extractor comprising a handle, a blade projecting obliquely from one side of the handle, the plane of the blade intersecting the bar transversely, a portion of said handle extending beyond the end of said blade and being adapted to engage the far edge of the bottle mouth to form a guard when the blade is piercing the stopper and to form a pry by the aid of which the stopper may be removed from the bottle mouth.

4. A device of the character described formed from a strip of sheet metal, one end of the strip serving as a handle and the opposite end thereof being arranged to engage with the far edge of a bottle mouth, and having a V-shaped member stamped from the central portion of the strip between its opposite side edges and adjacent the mouth-engaging end of the strip, said V-shaped member being fiat and disposed in a plane inclined to the plane of the strip of sheet metal, the apex of the V-shaped member being arranged to puncture the stopper of the bottle mouth and disengage the same therefrom.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OSCAR F. FRANK. Witnesses:

W. P. TRINTER, HENRY STEMBOENNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents earn, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washingta i, D. G. 

